Bruce Boudreau: A Pro Career That Started in the NAHL

NAHL

Bruce Boudreau started his impressive minor pro career in the North American Hockey League with the Johnstown Jets in 1975-76. He played just 34 regular season games with the Jets and nine in the playoffs. Yet, he produced at nearly a point per game with 60 points on 25 goals and 35 assists. Boudreau played 30 games in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, contributing just nine points.

At that pace, playing a full 74 game schedule, Boudreau was on pace for 54 goals and 131 points. Very impressive potential numbers, especially for a rookie, but a far cry from the league leaders that year with Alain Caron scoring 78 and Joe Hardy tallying 208 points. Both played for the Beauce Jaros. Bruce was coming off an Eddie Powers Trophy year in the OMJHL, leading the league with 165 points on 68 goals and 97 assists in 69 games for the Toronto Marlboros. It was his third of three years with Toronto.

Boudreau also appeared in nine games during the Lockhart Cup playoffs. The Jets finished the regular season in first place in the West Division but were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round.

Pro Playing Career

Bruce was taken in both the WHA and NHL Amateur Drafts. In 1974, the Minnesota Fighting Saints chose him in the first round of the WHA Amateur Draft, 14^th overall. The following year, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him in the third round of the NHL Amateur Draft, 42^nd overall.

Boudreau played pro hockey from 1975-76 to 1991-92 in the NAHL, WHA, NHL, CHL, AHL and IHL, with also some time spent in Germany. He appeared in 141 NHL regular season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks. In 1987-88, Bruce was awarded the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the American Hockey League’s top scorer, totalling 116 points for the Springfield Indians.

Coaching Career

Boudreau has been coaching since 1990-91 when he was player / assistant coach of the IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets. He has coached in the IHL, ECHL, AHL and is currently a head coach in the National Hockey League.

Although a Stanley Cup has eluded him since his NHL coaching career began in 2007-08, Boudreau won a Kelly Cup in the ECHL in 1998-99 with the Mississippi Sea Wolves and a Calder Cup in the AHL in 2005-06 with the Hershey Bears. Bruce is currently in his second year as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks after four and some years behind the bench for the Washington Capitals.

Nick Fotiu: 1st Year Pro With the Cape Cod Cubs

Nick Fotiu is among the top 100 New York Rangers of all time but probably not for his hockey skills. Fotiu was a fan favourite for being the first Staten Island born player to play for the Rangers and for his love of the fans in the cheap seats.

NAHL

It all began for Fotiu in the North American Hockey League. Nick played 72 of 74 regular season games for the Cape Cod Cubs in the NAHL’s inaugural season, 1973-74, his first year of pro hockey. He put up decent offensive numbers with 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. However, his claim to fame was leading the league in penalty minutes with 371, 55 more than second place Dave Ferguson of the Syracuse Blazers.

In that first year in the NAHL, Fotiu played 13 games in the playoffs, scoring four games and adding seven assists while sitting 80 minutes in the sin bin. The Cubs reached the semi-finals before falling to the Long Island Cougars four games to two.

In 1974-75, Nick started his season with the Cape Codders but was called up to the World Hockey Association after five games. In those five, it looks as though Fotiu was being used for his offensive abilities just as much as his toughness with three points and a relatively mild 13 minutes in penalties.

WHA / NHL

Nick played 110 regular season games in the World Hockey Association between 1974-75 and 1975-76 with the New England Whalers. In 1975-76, he sat 94 PIM over 49 regular season games and 57 in just 16 playoff games. The Whalers reached the WHA semi-finals before the Houston Aeros eliminated New England 4-3.

Fotiu played 646 regular season games in the National Hockey League from 1976-77 to 1988-89 with the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. Over that time, he spent 1,362 minutes in the box. Most of his career was spent with the Rangers. The Whalers selected him in the 1979 expansion draft when they entered the NHL but traded him back to the Rangers in January, 1981.

His professional hockey career ended with a partial season in the American Hockey League in 1989-90 with the New Haven Nighthawks.

Coaching Career

Nick coached in the ECHL for five years. He was head coach of the Nashville Knights in 1992-93 and 1993-94, reaching the post season both years. He was head of the Johnstown Chiefs for three seasons from 1995-96 to 1997-98. In the final year with the Chiefs, he was replaced 30 games into the season.

 

Dick Roberge: The Gretzky of the EHL

Dick Roberge is a legend in minor pro hockey and a legend in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The long time member of the Johnstown Jets of the Eastern Hockey League, Roberge made his mark in the NAHL in 1974-75 as head coach of the Jets.

The Coach

Dick retired as a player after the 1971-72 season. The Jets continued on after the demise of the EHL and became a charter member of the North American Hockey League in 1973-74. Although he was player / head coach of the Jets for three years near the end of his EHL career, Roberge was head coach of the NAHL Jets for just the 1974-75 season.

Although Johnstown finished fourth overall of eight teams during the 1974-75 regular season, the Jets pumped it up in the playoffs. Johnstown took out the Cape Codders three games to one in the opening round. In the semi-finals, the Jets were giant killers, beating the favoured Syracuse Blazers four games to three. The series was very even with each team scoring 26 goals over the seven games. The Lockhart Cup finals were a bit anti-climatic with Johnstown sweeping the Binghamton Dusters in four games while outscoring their opponents 20-8.

The Jets were the most penalized team in the NAHL in 1974-75 and were building the model for the 1977 movie ‘Slapshot’. Gary Sittler of the Syracuse Blazers led the NAHL in penalty minutes but the second, third and fourth spots belonged to the ‘Hanson Brothers’. Jeff Carlson (250 PIM), Dave Hanson (249) and Jack Carlson (246) would become the Hanson Brothers of hockey legend. The third Carlson brother, Steve, led the team in scoring with a modest 30 goals and 58 assists for 88 points over 70 regular season games.

The Player

Dick Roberge played for the Johnstown Jets from 1954-55 to 1971-72. In the first year, the team was in the IHL. Ten times over his EHL career, Roberge totalled 100 points or more. Twice he topped 60 goals and he was a 50 or more goal scorer on six occasions. Three times, he was the John Carlin Trophy winner as the player with the most regular season points. In 1960-61, he tied teammate Ken Laufman for the lead.

In his first year in the EHL, 1955-56, Dick led the league in goals with 64 and points with 118. In 1960-61, he would do the same with 56 goals and 116 points. In 1964-65, he led the league in points with 139 but his impressive 63 goals were six behind EHL leader, Gary Sharp of the Greensboro Generals. His personal offensive bests were 64 goals in 1955-56, 76 assists in 1964-65 and 139 points in 1964-65.

Roberge’s career totals in the EHL are nothing short of extraordinary. In 1,097 regular season games, he scored 720 goals and assisted on 938 for 1,658 points. Including a few short stints in the IHL and AHL, Dick’s 752 goals still stand as a career record for most goals in a minor league career.

Dick played a major part of a Johnstown Jets three-peat in the early 1960’s. In 1959-60, the Jets beat the New Haven Blades in the Walker Cup finals for the championship. It was the Blades again in 1960-61, falling to the Jets in six games. In 1961-62, Johnstown met the Greensboro Generals in the finals and took home their third and last championship in five games. These would be the only championships Roberge would win as a player.

Retired Number

The Jets met their demise after the 1976-77 season when the NAHL ceased to exist. In 1988-89, with the creation of the East Coast Hockey League, minor pro hockey was resurrected in Johnstown, Pennsylvania with the Johnstown Chiefs. The ECHL team existed until the end of the 2009-10 season before moving to become the current Greenville Road Warriors.

Over their existence in the ECHL, the Chiefs retired four jersey numbers, all belonging to players from the EHL Jets. In 1990, Johnstown retired number 11 in honour of Dick Roberge.

Syracuse Blazers: 2 Time NAHL Champions

The Syracuse Blazers were a relative comet crossing the hockey sky. The franchise entered the Eastern Hockey League in 1967-68 and lasted out the final six years of the EHL’s existence. The club then joined the newly formed North American Hockey League in 1973-74 and when the NAHL ceased operations after the 1976-77 season, so did the Syracuse Blazers. However, in that short ten year period, the Blazers achieved greatness.

The first two years in the EHL were rocky, to say the least. Syracuse won just 21 of 144 regular games over the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons combined. In 1971-72, the Blazers reached the Walker Cup finals before losing to the Charlotte Checkers.

In 1972-73, the final year of the EHL, the team was nothing short of legendary. Syracuse won 63 of 76 regular season games, losing nine and tying four for a whopping 130 points. The team charged to the finals and took the final Walker Cup with a victory over the Roanoke Valley Rebels.

Blazers in the NAHL

Syracuse played in all four NAHL seasons between 1973-74 and 1976-77. The team won the Lockhart Cup championship in the first and last years.

1973-74

Syracuse finished first overall in the inaugural NAHL season with 54 wins and 112 points, 19 more than the second place Maine Nordiques in the seven team league. The Blazers met the Long Island Cougars in the finals and captured the championship with a four game sweep.

Mike Morton was the team’s offensive leader, finishing the regular season with a modest 95 points. The Blazers were intimidators, to say the least. Syracuse players finished 2-3-4 in the NAHL for penalty minutes. Dave Ferguson sat 371, Gary Sittler (brother of Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler) accumulated 316 while the infamous Bill Goldthorpe sat 285 in just 55 games.

The Blazers were coached by Ron Ingram, his only year as head coach of the team. Ingram played pro hockey from 1955-56 to 1969-70, mostly in the American Hockey League. Ingram did find his way into 114 career NHL games with the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

1974-75

The Blazers once again finished first overall in 1974-75 but the numbers were not quite as spectacular. Syracuse won 46 games and finished with 95 points, 12 ahead of the second place Philadelphia Firebirds in the eight team league. The team played an incredibly even semi-final series with the Johnstown Jets. Each team scored 26 goals and the series went to the seventh game with the Jets edging out the Blazers 5-4.

Bob Jones was the team’s offensive leader in 1974-75 with 114 points. Garry Peters was behind the bench for his only year as the team’s head coach. In fact, it was his only year of coaching in pro hockey. Peters played pro from 1963-64 to 1973-74. He appeared in 311 NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins. He also played 57 World Hockey Association games with the New York Raiders franchise (and its many reincarnations).

1975-76

The NAHL expanded to ten teams and split into the East and West Divisions. Syracuse finished second in the East, 31 points behind the Beauce Jaros. The Blazers and Jaros met in the semi-finals and Beauce swept the series.

Doug Brindley led the team offensively with 101 points. Dan Belisle stepped behind the bench for his first of two years as the head coach. Belisle played pro from 1957-58 to 1970-71 and appeared in four NHL games with the New York Rangers during the 1960-61 season. Dan went on to become the head coach of the Washington Capitals for the 1978-79 season and 16 games into the 1979-80 season.

1976-77

The Blazers went out the way they came in, as champions. The league was down to one group of eight teams and Syracuse finished first overall with 48 wins and 99 points. Like 1973-74, it was the Maine Nordiques finishing second, this time 14 points behind the Blazers. The two teams met in the finals with the Blazers sweeping in four games.

Bernie Johnston set the team’s NAHL high with 124 points. There were three players that reached the 50 goal plateau. Johnston scored 53, Tom Milani led the team with 56 and Jim Cowell scored exactly 50. Belisle once again coached the team.

 

Bill Goldthorpe: aka Ogie Ogilthorpe

He was the inspiration for the character Ogie Ogilthorpe in the movie ‘Slapshot’ and he was every bit as fearsome in real life as he was in the movie. Yet, the side of Bill Goldthorpe that wasn’t represented in the 1977 cult classic was his scoring ability.

Goldthorpe played in the North American Hockey League sporadically from 1973-74 to 1975-76. His only season that came close to be considered full was 1973-74 with the Syracuse Blazers. In 55 games, Bill sat 285 minutes in the penalty box, a 5.2 PIM per game average. However, he also scored 20 and assisted on 26 more for 46 points. He also appeared in three playoff games in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting Saints.

The Blazers finished first overall, winning 54 of 74 regular season games and totalling 112 points, 19 better than the second place Maine Nordiques. Despite playing just 55 games, Goldthorpe had the fourth highest penalty minute total in the NAHL that season. Nick Fotiu of Cape Cod led with 371 while Bill’s Syracuse teammates Dave Ferguson and Gary Sittler finished 2-3.

That year, the NAHL had a round robin in the opening round of the playoffs with the top five teams playing each other twice in order for one team to be eliminated. Syracuse lost just one game to advance to the semi-finals. They took out the Johnstown Jets 4-1 to reach the finals against the Long Island Cougars. The Blazers easily swept Long Island, outscoring their opponents 27-5 over the four games. Goldthorpe accumulated 50 PIM over 15 playoff games but also scored five and assisted on eight for 13 points.

1974-75 was a bit of a dud for Goldie, playing just two games for the Blazers, his last two with the club. He also appeared in seven WHA games with the Michigan Stags franchise.

Goldthorpe found himself with the Binghamton Dusters for a portion of the 1975-76 nahl season. He started the season with a single game as a member of the Erie Blades. He had no points and earned 22 minutes in the box. With Binghamton, Bill went to the sin bin at an 8.2 PIM per game pace. In 19 games with the Dusters, he sat 156 minutes. However, he also went at nearly a point per game pace with 17. He also played 26 games in the WHA, 12 with the Ottawa Civics franchise and 14 with the San Diego Mariners.

His days in the NAHL and WHA had drawn to an end after 1975-76. Goldthorpe had two more seasons in minor pro hockey that would make Ogie Ogilthorpe proud. In 1976-77, playing for the Richmond Wildcats of the Southern Hockey League, Goldthorpe played 25 games and sat 169 minutes. In usual Goldthorpe fashion, he also scored six and assisted on 12 for 18 points.

1978-79 was Goldie’s last real hurrah. He played 39 games for the San Diego Hawks of the PHL and sat 267 minutes in the box. He hadn’t much lost his offensive touch with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points.

A documentary on Goldthorpe’s life was apparently filmed in early 2012 with the title ‘Ogilthorpe’. The short film got a lot of press before being released but we can’t seem to find much info on it now. There were two websites (www.ogilthorpethemovie.com and www.goldiegoldthorpe.com) but neither are currently operational.